Architectural History and Criticism Commons^™

Of Word And Stone: The History Of Medieval Spain Through The Lens Of Architecture And Language, Samantha Hernandez

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Medieval Spain is a unique summation of religious and cultural communities. Through the built forms of Al-Andalus, there is unique preservation of societal imprints that parallel the formation of the Castilian language. These two mediums—architecture and language—are a telling of the culture and history of the region. By first observing the historical formation of Spanish, and in turn the various communities which inhabited the Iberian Peninsula, one may find many correlations with architecture created at the same time. After understanding the historical making of the Spanish language, it is important to analyze the language itself and how it differs from …

Genius Loci: Capturing The Distinctive Roman Spirit Through Pochoir, Carlee Mcguire

Interior Design Undergraduate Honors Theses

This capstone explores the concept of genius loci through photographic and artistic exploration and does so through a lens of study set on Rome, Italy. The first major goal of the process has been to discover the elements, moments, physical textures, and other design elements that comprise the genius loci of a city or space. The second goal has been to partake in a process that can be used by myself and other designers in efforts to make more conscious design decisions — gaining a better understanding of ‘sense of place’ can assist designers in straying from globalized, placeless design.

Anthropomorphism In Architecture: An Investigation Into Anthropomorphism Through Ancient Greco-Roman Religious Structures, Emily Wilcox

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper will outline and detail an investigation into religious Greco-Roman structures of antiquity through the lens of anthropomorphism. Through defining anthropomorphism, three lenses of thought have presented themselves as means of inquiry: metaphor, scale and proportion, and ergonomics. Previous research into these structures and cultures has shown that there was indeed consideration for the human body in designing in construction; this project hopes to solidify these claims and present new supporting information regarding specific relationships to the body using anthropomorphism. Many contemporary buildings approach the relationship to the human body as a mask or an afterthought, disregarding what reflecting …

The Farnsworth House & 'The Grand Budapest Hotel': Cinematic Spaces, Rylie Davis

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mies van der Rohe designed the Farnsworth House as a personification of his architectural vision, an architectural language void of the mistakes of the past that could be taught universally. Mies’ illusory idea of free-flowing anti-space was ideologically unconnected to the cinematic arts, nevertheless the application of his design philosophy consequently resulted in spaces that were scenographic and cinematic. Just as a cinematographer establishes a relationship between the viewer and the scene, Mies van der Rohe used perspective to frame views transforming the Farnsworth House into an intermediary object establishing a relationship between nature and the viewer. The Farnsworth House …

The Work Of Living Art, Empathy, And The Creation Of An Aesthetics Of Perception In The Early Twentieth Century, Sarah Peil Winstead

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Adolphe Appia (1862-1928), theorist and pioneering voice of the New Stagecraft Movement in twentieth century theatre, was a transformative influence on the history of scenic design. This paper looks at the links between Appia’s theories in theatre scenic design and contemporaneous German aesthetic theory. At the time German theorists like Adolf Hildebrand and August Schmarsow developed an aesthetic theory, Einfülung or empathy theory, based on the connection between the human body and perception. I will argue this theory influenced not only Appia and his contemporaries it also shaped the landscape of mid-century theatre design. Appia’s own theories revolved around three …

Statements In Stone: The Politics Of Architecture In Charlemagne's Aachen, Mary Katherine Tipton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Statements in Stone is an intersectional and preliminary study of the architecture and Social aspects of the palatine complex of Aachen Germany during the reign of Charlemagne approximately spanning from the 790s to 814CE. The interplay between built space and its Social uses inform the larger Social understandings and interpretations of power and authority. Court poetry written by contemporaries and courtiers of Charlemagne allow readers to glimpse the court as it moved through and interacted with the built environment. Architectural precedents inform the connotations associated with the spaces of Aachen, while spatial theory will provide a framework for understanding the …

Image And Perception Of The Top Five American Tourist Cities As Represented By Snow Globes, Caitlin Malloy

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the connection between popular culture’s perception of place and the physical augmentation of reality. Focusing on the top five tourist cities in America, this disparateness is observed through the lens of a souvenir: the snow globe.

The presentation of the work is broken into two parts: the written portion and the book of diagrams. A total of 45 snow globes (9 for each of the 5 cities) were selected for the study, each carefully analyzed for content to include monuments, colors, text, dimensions, realism, and layout. This resulted in a series of diagrams which graphically express the …

Restoring The Gothic: The Fate Of Medieval Cathedrals In A Divided Germany, 1945 - Present, Haley Walton

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

At the end of World War II, Germany faced some of the greatest levels of destruction of any country in Europe, leaving their historic cities and iconic architecture in ruin. Across the country, some monuments were restored with the upmost attention to detail, while others were maintained in a state of rubble for decades. Following the 1949 division of the state into West Germany (a democratic republic) and East Germany (a socialist autocracy), most of the rebuilding took place against the backdrop of strong ideological differences. But the two new nations shared a centuries-long history, and, after rehabilitating basic infrastructure …

Exploring The Contemporary Use And Understanding Of Precedent In Architectural Design Via A Comparative Analysis Of Brunelleschi And Le Corbusier, Shaelyn J. Vinson

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

As a student of architecture, conducting precedent research before diving into the design phase of a project is something that I am very familiar with. But, following each project’s precedent research, is often an overwhelming feeling of uselessness for the material found. For each project, assignments call for students to find a certain number of buildings on which to base their project. While historically this step makes sense, 21^st-century architecture students are taught that there is no “new” architecture, and that copying and collaging together existing buildings is the best way to achieve a successful design. This …

Class Status And Identity In The Trinidadian House: A Semantic Reading Of The Typical Trinidadian House, Across Class Levels, With Emphasis On Faã§Ade Design, Leniqueca Welcome

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi stated, "Remember that no other memory remains of us than the walls which after hundreds of thousands of years bear witness to him who was their author." Brunelleschi's statement alludes to architecture's ability to encapsulate the spirit of its time and people, allowing it to transcend time, and be translated to future generations. Fascinated by this ability of architecture, this thesis investigates the relationship between the evolution of a particular architectural typology and the changing socio-political climate of its context. To illustrate this theme it presents a social history of the evolution of the single-family house …

Defining Maximalism: Understanding Minimalism, Patrick Templeton

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

As little more than a buzz-word, maximalism has circulated around architectural discourses over the past decade. To illuminate the implications of the term and to explore its potential, this research explores minimalism in art and architecture to establish a foundation for a reciprocal definition for maximalism.

The Church Of San Francisco In Mexico City As Lieux De Memoire, Laurence Mcmahon

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

San Francisco, memory, lieux de memoire

A Study Of The Influence Of Women Clients On Residential Architectural Design Through The Work Of E. Fay Jones, Calli Verkamp

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis aims to determine the influence of women clients on residential architectural design in the United States throughout the twentieth century. In the late nineteenth and twentieth century, waves of feminism and women’s rights movements pushed traditional views of men, women, family and relationships in America to change. At the same time, modernity brought about a shift in architectural thinking. Therefore, if architectural ideas about housing and the home and cultural ideas regarding gender roles and domesticity are directly related, these cultural changes would be present in housing designs of the period. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright was known to …

Domus, Villa And Insula: A Neo-Rationalist Taxonomy Of Housing Types Along The Via Consolare-Pompeii, Joseph Weishaar

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the early letters of Cicero, the guide on agriculture by Varro, and the complete works of Vitruvius, there is a foundation laid for the governance of domestic architecture which can only be glimpsed through the moment frozen in time at Pompeii. This thesis is directed at a critical analysis of the residential architecture situated along the Via Consolare in Pompeii. The question posed at the onset was how do dwellings change and adapt based on the localized context. The context in this case can be as simple as neighbor to neighbor spatial relationships and as complex as urban to …

The American Shotgun House: A Study Of Its Evolution And The Enduring Presence Of The Vernacular In American Architecture, Lillian Mcrae

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the evolution of the American shotgun house through plans, elevations and photographs to define the formal, architectural differences and similarities between contemporary shotgun houses of the 21st century and the traditional, historic shotgun houses of the late 19th and 20th centuries. More specifically, this study will explore whether or not the once distinct, vernacular shotgun house still exists as a vernacular housing type in its contemporary construction. Part one of the research process reviews the historic past of the shotgun house and determines the characteristics that compose the traditional, vernacular shotgun houses built in the United States …

The Contemporary Islamic House, Hanna Ibrahim

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Architectural design thesis-- proposes a contemporary house that is a manifestation of the practices of the Islamic religion.

Dar Islam Mosque, Albuquerque, New Mexico Studio Design Project, Melissa Harlan

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

In historically Muslim countries, mosques take the prescribed form of a large hall with adjacent courtyard, minaret(s), and ornately decorated entrance portal. With Islam's spread to the United States, the mosque no longer takes this form, due to construction and technological conventions, as well as the diminished economic will of the religious community. The design for the Dar Islam Mosque in Albuquerque, New Mexico takes a position of difference in response to the current debate in the Muslim community over historicism versus contextualism of mosques, where the individual's response to the space is primary, with emphasis placed on disconnecting from …